They said all overseas Pakistanis, including journalists who have got themselves registered with OPF after paying Rs 2000 as membership fee are entitled to get benefits from its welfare schemes. They said OPF had set up schools and colleges in Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan during last ten years and all these institutions are imparting quality education.
Besides, the foundation has set up a 20-bed eye hospital at Mirpur (AJK) and a 10-bed eye hospital in Yaro Khoso, District Dera Ghazi Khan for families of Pakistanis living abroad, the sources added. To a question, they said the foreign remittances would touch $12 billion mark this financial year, hoping if the same pace continues, the country would shortly get deliverance from foreign loans.
This year, "The Ministry has set the target of remittances one billion dollars per month, enabling the country to generate its own resources instead of depending foreign funding agencies," they added. They said that OPF generates its income through the registration fee of members amounting Rs 2,000, fees of educational institutions and sale of plots in OPF's housing scheme, adding that recently the ministry has allotted 1200 plots to the overseas Pakistanis through balloting.
The sources said, currently no scholarship scheme is being provided to the overseas Pakistanis for higher education, as it would be beyond financial capacity of the OPF. However, they added that the Foundation is providing support to the overseas Pakistanis for education of their disabled children.